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CampusLogic. New research uncovers the main barrier preventing student success is actually financial instability, not academic. Take a deeper dive into the research by exploring our interactive report for immediate steps you can take to address the current enrollment and retention crisis. Read more.

The question of college affordability has been at the forefront of discussions concerning college access, and recent trends are offering some promising signs at improvements and financial stabilization, but authors of a set of annual reports are concerned about how the ongoing pandemic could ravage these gains. The report, released annually by the College Board, provides the latest information on student financial aid, tuition, and other expenses associated with attending college and illustrates trends over time.

Last week, NASFAA submitted comments in response to Federal Student Aid's (FSA) 2020-24 five-year strategic plan. NASFAA supports many of the directions laid out, such as FSA's plans for improving the ease of doing business with the agency for students, borrowers, and partners, and its openness to the idea of a governance restructuring, something that NASFAA has recommended for years. NASFAA commended FSA for its efforts to solicit feedback. "I cannot recall a time in recent memory when FSA made such a significant effort to publicize and publicly explain the underpinnings of its strategic plans," NASFAA President Justin Draeger wrote. In our comments, NASFAA also brought up examples of where the FSA/stakeholder partnership could be further improved, as well as the need for more transparency around FSA and Department of Education (ED) data. Read NASFAA's full comments.

A new and improved AskRegs Knowledgebase platform launched on Friday. This popular NASFAA member service provides a searchable knowledgebase of answers to your pressing regulatory questions — and now it's better than ever. Among the new features are the ability to share content on social media while maintaining member access, bookmarking an article as a favorite for easy reference, and the capacity to view all questions asked by others at your institution, under "MyAskRegs." Plus, the new Single Sign-On feature means you no longer need to re-login. Explore the new AskRegs Knowledgebase today, and stay tuned to Today's News for more tips and tricks for the updated website.

NASFAA is looking for volunteers for the Thought Force on Under Resourced Schools. With a membership of 2,800 institutions, NASFAA members come from all sectors of higher education and range in both resources and the types of students they serve. One of the challenges of the association is balancing affordability with the financial resources needed to effectively run a national association. Between November 2020 and February 2021, the thought force will work to develop a working definition of an under-resourced school, determine the scope of NASFAA members — if possible — that would meet that definition, explore and clearly identify the challenges faced by under-resourced schools, and broadly speaking, brainstorm about ways NASFAA could help meet the needs of those schools. Read through the full thought force charter and, if interested, apply to volunteer by 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, November 6.

The newly created 2019-20 COVID-19 National Emergency Checklist is now available! The Self-Evaluation Checklist is an easily accessible audit tool for schools. The COVID-19 checklist is designed to assist members in assessing flexibilities the school may have utilized in response to the national emergency, which was declared in March 2020. The checklist covers waivers and flexibilities to audit deadlines, the campus-based programs, Satisfactory Academic Progress, verification, and more for the 2019-20 award year. The Self-Evaluation Checklist module of the Compliance Engine is included with your NASFAA membership, so take advantage of this benefit today!

ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) regarding the adverse credit history regulations for the Federal PLUS Loan under the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program.

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